


Shibuya 109

by devot (devotfeige)



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 09:43:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18826117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devotfeige/pseuds/devot
Summary: Pretending not to enjoy the company has never occurred to him, regardless of what questionable corner stores in Shibuya she insists on dragging him into.





	Shibuya 109

**Author's Note:**

> '109', Ichi-maru-kyū, is the name of a popular department store in Shibuya.
> 
> (originally written/posted to LiveJournal in 2010)

Seta Souji is not, as a general rule, the single most socially-dependent teenager in Tokyo city. He thinks he's probably somewhere close to the bottom of that list, in all actuality, conditioned by a lifetime of working parents and distant relatives to be self-sufficient in most definitions of the word. People have come and gone in a continuous rhythm, as have the brief friendships he's shared, for about as long as he can remember in his relatively short time thus far on this earth.  
  
Inaba is the first and only exception he can think of; lingering long after the year he'd spent living there with his uncle and younger cousin. In some quiet, sentimental part of his mind, he thinks of the town as home. More home than Tokyo has ever been, at any rate, and he spends his days planning for a day that he might be able to return for more than the occasional holiday.  
  
So it's nice--more than nice, really--to have a slice of 'home' brought to him here in the city, sometimes.  
  
He follows after her with his thumbs in his pockets and the shallowest hints of a lazy smile on his face; pretending not to enjoy the company has never occurred to him, regardless of what questionable corner stores in Shibuya she insists on dragging him into, and so he takes these afternoons in stride.  
  
Rise shares many of his disappointments with the city; that it's not quite home for one, and most importantly. It makes these times together all the better for the two of them, taking comfort in the fact that they are not alone in their loneliness, isolated by countless strangers and all too many miles.  
  
She divides her time between pulling him along by the elbow and rushing off ahead to investigate the contents of one store window or another, eventually pulling him into whichever shop has gained her interest and chatting idly about what type of thing she's looking for.  
  
Today she's in the market for an outfit to wear in her upcoming music video, as well as for a photo-shoot. When he questions why those wouldn't be provided by her label, she swells with pride and announces that since she's started writing her own songs, she wants that same level of personal involvement with all aspects of the process. He smiles in return, and she grins before holding up two blouses and giving her most endearing look, "Tell me the truth, senpai-- which of these says  _Risette_  to you?"  
  
"They're both very you," he replies, and she tones down her grin into a soft, knowing smile before complaining that he's the worst at making decisions.  
  
"I know," he says, and she breathes a sigh that sounds more like a laugh before waving him off and wandering off to track down something that might catch her eye. He walks nonchalantly through the store, glancing at the various racks and displays before finding a corner of the store dedicated to accessories, a full line of shawls and scarves of various descriptions along one wall. He searches through them, pausing when he finds a scarf striped in light pink and blue. It's a little ridiculous, if he's being entirely honest, but it stands out in his mind as something his friend might be inspired by. He picks it up and turns to find her waving him over from a short distance away, "Hurry, come look!"  
  
She takes his arm and pulls him around a display before pointing toward one of the shop assistants on the far side of the store, giggling to herself, "Would you just look at him? Tall, dark, and handsome-- oh, but not as handsome as you, of course!" Souji scoffs, resisting the urge to crack a joke at his own expense. Tall and handsome is right, dark shoulder-length hair with just enough of a natural curl to perfectly frame the man's features.  
  
Rise elbows him, and he coughs in an effort to disguise his internal embarrassment for staring. "So?" she asks.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your thoughts?" she prods, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.  
  
"Too tall, too dark, too handsome. You can have this one." She prods him in the side while he tries not to laugh, offering her the scarf he's holding in an attempt to call her off; "Here, I found this."  
  
She takes an immediate interest, holding it up to examine it. It's reasonably short, light and very soft. She wraps it around her neck and beams up at her friend expectantly, "Well?"  
  
"It looks nice," Souji says honestly, and she looks absolutely delighted.  
  
"Oh, good! I like it a lot... and not just because you picked it out, don't you give me that look! It's a starting point, at least. I can look for something to go with it and go from there..."  
  
She wanders off for a second time, eventually disappearing into a changing room and returning some time later with an armful of purchases to make. To Souji's surprise, she hands him a small selection as well. A thank you present, she explains, for coming shopping with her.  
  
"And you can wear it the next time you meet up with this mystery person you refuse to tell me about," she tells him with a nod, "And then when you get some because of how amazing you look, you'll  _have_  to tell me about them by matter of principle."  
  
He does laugh, this time.  
  
"I mean it, senpai! You owe me now, remember that!"  
  
"Not yet," he replies, "but if it works  _that_  well, I'll keep you in mind."  
  
Three months later, he comes to Inaba to spend the winter holiday with Nanako, who meets him at the train station with one Hanamura Yosuke in tow.  
  
"Damn, partner," Yosuke laughs, pulling one end of the long scarf Souji is wearing in order to tug him over into a one-armed hug ( _a friendly hug isn't the problem, dude, your girly hugs are a different thing entirely_ ), "You didn't have to get dressed up to see us."  
  
"I know," Souji says with a smile, and leaves it at that.


End file.
